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Natural Home Cures Mangosteen Tree

Mangosteen TreeFacts: The mangosteen tree(1) is very slow-growing, erect, with a pyramidal crown. It grows 20 to 82 ft (6-25 m) in height and has dark-brown or nearly black, flaking bark.

The inner tree(2) bark contains yellow, gummy, bitter latex. The Evergreen's short-stalked leaves are ovate-oblong or elliptic, leathery and thick. The tree leaves(3) are dark-green and slightly glossy on top while being yellowish-green and dull beneath.

In terms of shape, the mangosteen’s trees leaves are 3 1/2 to 10 in (9-25 cm) long, 1 3/4 to 4 in (4.5-10 cm) wide, with conspicuous, pale midribs: new leaves are rosy. The flowers are 1 1/2 to 2 in (4-5 cm) wide and fleshy. They may be male or hermaphroditic leaves on the same tree. The former are in clusters of 3-9 at the branch tips. Each flower has 4 sepals and 4 ovate: thick, fleshy petals that are green with red spots on the outside and yellowish-red on the inside.(4)

The flowers possess many stamens though the aborted anthers bare no pollen. The hermaphroditic flowers are found alone or in pairs at the tips of young branchlets. Their petals may be yellowish-green, edged with red or mostly red, and are quickly shed.

The Mangosteen Tree Provides One Exquisitely Delicious Fruit

NHC Mangosteen Tree Fruit

The mangosteen tree fruit,(5) capped by the prominent calyx at the stem end is round, 1 1/3 to 3 in (3.4-7.5 cm) in diameter, dark-purple to red-purple and smooth on the outside. The tree fruit rind is 1/4 to 3/8 in (6-10 mm) thick, red in cross-section and purplish-white on the inside. The mangosteen tree fruit contains bitter yellow latex and a purple, staining juice. There are 4 to 8 triangular segments of snow-white, juicy, soft flesh (actually the arils of the seeds).

The mangosteen tree fruit may be seedless or have 1 to 5 fully developed seeds which are ovoid-oblong, somewhat flattened, 1 in (2.5 cm) long and 5/8 in (1.6 cm) wide clinging to the flesh. The fruit is slightly acidic with a flavor that ranges from mild to intense: The mangosteen tree fruit flesh is acclaimed as exquisitely luscious and delicious the world over.